Guitars in Christian music
There’s a strange phenomenon when it comes to guitarists in Christian music. People will talk about artists they love in the present tense, and list their favorite Christian artists with ease. When it comes to talking about guitars, however, they switch to the past tense and talk about the music they “used” to listen to. This is due to several factors, none of which has anything to do with the talent of “Christian” musicians.
- CCM (rightfully!) places a lot of emphasis on the “heart”, so there tends to be more focus on stories behind the songs than on musicianship.
- “Christian” rock is, well, rock, so when you start talking about influences, you’re going to talk about legendary rock players.
- Many Christian music fans grew up listening to mainstream rock.
At any rate, today is your chance to talk about the best, most influential, or simply your favorite guitarists in CCM.
I could go any number of directions with this. I mentioned a couple of weeks ago about Phil Keaggy and his prowess on the guitar. Also Keith Johnston and Mark Blackburn from Jacob’s Trouble were the first guitarists I saw perform live a number of times so they were a big influence on me. And through touring, I’ve had the chance to share the stage with killer guitarists like Mark Townsend, Jody Davis, and Lincoln Brewster.
While any of these would be perfectly valid answers, I’m going to talk about Wes King. He is flat out one of the best acoustic guitar players I’ve ever seen. Beyond that, he has always been able to incorporate technically great left field guitar parts into pop songs - that in itself is a huge feat. Slap harmonics, Doyle Dykes-style harp techniques, and intricate Travis picking all made their way into some of his biggest hits. Back in 1991 when Third Day was first getting together, I picked up his Sticks and Stones album, then subsequently saw him perform at a festival in Atlanta. I was impacted to the point that I quit playing electric entirely for about three years!
If you’ve never heard Wes King before, be sure to check him out. Sticks and Stones is still my favorite, although The Robe features his bigger hits. And then there’s Keaggy, King and Dente, featuring King alongside Phil Keaggy and Out of the Grey’s Scott Dente. Really good stuff.
Wes has had to slow things down career-wise because of health issues due to lymphoma. A cool tribute record came out a couple of years ago to help cover his medical costs. Be sure to check it out…
OK, now it’s your turn - what Christian rock/ CCM guitarist has impacted you the most?
If you enjoyed this post you might like these:
- “Ask Phil Keaggy”
- Mike Huckabee: Bass Guitar Hero
- Links for Friday 1/23
- Keeping it positive
- Best guitar solo of all time?
